BEST OF THE DECADE? A JOURNEY “INTO THE DARK”

by Craig Detweiler

Have you felt besieged by Top Ten lists? Every newspaper critic (and all kinds of Internet critics) have chimed in with their best of 2009. Alas, I still have too many essential films I need to see. I could list the best of what I’ve seen. But too many slots may shift in the next month. What tops your list? Any obscure recommendations?

Some outlets offered up best of the decade lists. The beautific Paste Magazine devoted the entire month of November to their top music, film and gaming choices. Roger Ebert came up with quite an eclectic list for best of the decade, topped by Charlie Kaufman’s Synecdoche, New York. My partner at Purple State of Mind, John Marks, cooked up a rather amazing and diverse list.

I threw my hat in even earlier. My book, Into the Dark, dove into the top films of the 21st Century according to voters on the Internet Movie Database. Amongst the top titles: Donnie Darko, City of God, Spirited Away and The Lives of Others. The timing of my dissertation demanded that I adopt a list from 2000 to 2008. So I couldn’t squeeze the entire decade into the book. No Dark Knight, No Slumdog Millionaire, No Wall-E.

Thankfully, some of my sharpest grads have taken up the challenge. The creative team at rednow.com are inviting people to enter INTO THE DARK–to screen and discuss 60 films during 2010. They’re incorporating a recent release which may enter the ‘new canon’ as well as forgotten classics and worthy documentaries. The January list includes Avatar, 12 Angry Men, and the intriguing doc, Objectified. If you’re already a Netflix subscriber, what a great way to work through films in community. So sign up and start watching!